Not the First Time
by Noxbait
Summary: After all, it isn't the first time Vala's had her pants off in a library. Set post-Continuum.


"Samantha told me you've done this before!"

"I have."

"She said you've done it twice."

"Actually, I've done it three times."

Vala screamed and her bruising grip on his wrist tightened. She shook her head, wild eyed, and shouted at him, "Well, you're not doing a very good job of it now!"

Daniel glared at her, "You have a way of making very simple things very complicated." He shifted position and grabbed her waist, "Stop squirming."

"Daniel!"

"I can't see if you don't hold still, Vala."

Vala sat up halfway and shouted again, "What is there to see?"

"Vala!"

"What? I can't see anything from here." Vala huffed and puffed, lying back again.

"You're not supposed to. I'm in charge here."

Her huffing stopped and she turned on the pout. Moaning, she whined, "Daniel! How much longer is this going to take?"

"As long as it takes." Daniel said through his teeth. Vala screamed again and he looked around in concern. They were in a fairly secure location, but they were offworld in a potentially hostile environment with communications down and the rest of the team surveying the rest of the town. Which meant it wasn't the best place to be doing what they were doing. He squeezed her hand and said, "This is all your fault, you know?"

She gave him one of her award-winning smiles; the kind that had stolen his heart in the first place. "I know, darling. I'm sorry."

"I know. Just concentrate on what you're doing, ok?"

"I'm trying! Can't you do something to help?"

"What do you want me to do?" He raised his hands in frustration. "I can't just pull it out!"

"Sure you can," Vala sat up and grabbed his collar and yanked him closer till they were nose to nose, "Reach up there and pull. It. Out!"

Daniel laughed in spite of her pain and the ludicrous situation.

"You don't love me." Vala wailed.

Daniel only laughed more, "Vala, really? Do you think we'd be in this situation if I didn't love you?"

"No, oh darling, I don't know what I'm saying." She puffed out between gasps for breath. "I feel like I've lost my mind."

He couldn't argue with her on that point. Vala had been extremely forgetful during the entire pregnancy. There had been times when he'd actually be concerned about it, but Dr. Lam had assured, and reassured, him that forgetfulness was not an uncommon side effect of pregnancy.

"Daniel, I'm scared." She whispered.

He knew she was; they both were. He said, "It's going to be ok; you've done this before, remember?"

Vala's eyes filled with tears, "Yes, and my sweet baby turned out to be an evil spawn who grew up_ literally_ in front of my eyes."

Daniel leaned down and kissed her. "I know, I know. But that's not happening now, right?"

Her answer was interrupted by another scream.

"Vala, breathe! Breathe through it just like in class." Daniel encouraged her. His heart slammed against his chest as he fought to keep his own breathing under control.

Sure he'd done it three times, but he'd never delivered his own baby before. He'd protested against her going off-world eight and a half months pregnant. But Vala had convinced him, Lam and General Landry that it was perfectly acceptable, safe and normal for a pregnant woman to travel through a trans-dimensional wormhole to other planets. Teal'c hadn't helped when he'd assured them all that, indeed, it was not uncommon for pregnant women to travel via the Stargate. Sure, it wasn't uncommon. Sure, it wasn't dangerous. Nevertheless, travelling off world while pregnant did carry with it the potential for said pregnant woman to suddenly go into labor while on a planet very far away from Earth and the SGC and the infirmary and Dr. Lam…

"Honey, you're doing fine." He encouraged, "This is all part of the process."

Her face, pale and drenched in sweat, wore an expression of doubt, "Oh, I know about this part of the process. But I'm scared about everything that comes next. Daniel, I've never put a diaper on a baby. I'm going to be a terrible mother. I barely can cook, I'm irresponsible and I'm a thief!"

Daniel took her in his arms and kissed her cheek, "Vala. You're going to be a great mother. You're_ already_ a great mother. You've done everything Dr. Lam said to do, you've got the nursery decorated beautifully. You are already a wonderful mother to our baby."

Vala sniffed, in a lull between contractions. "I endangered our baby by coming off world."

"No, no you didn't. You couldn't have predicted when the baby was coming…"

"What if the Gate travel caused Baby to come early?"

"We don't know that it did." He felt her tense up as another contraction started. "Vala, this baby is coming exactly when he wants to come."

"He?" Vala shouted, eyes blazing, "He? I thought we decided it was a girl."

Daniel smiled, "I don't think it matters what we decided it would be. This baby made up its mind a long time ago."

"Oh, Daniel, how much longer?"

"I don't know exactly, but…" He paused, then felt his heart trip again, "Uh, well, actually, I don't think it will be much longer…"

"What! What, do you see her?" Vala tried to look.

Daniel pushed her gently back against her pack. They'd been working together in what had once been a library while Mitchell and Teal'c had gone to finish a survey of the town. It had been well after the others had left that Vala's water had broken and they'd discovered that their radios didn't work. Vala suggested they just walk back to the Gate, but they hadn't made it to the door before she'd hit her knees screaming loud enough that Daniel figured Mitchell and Teal'c would have been running back toward them. Surely, she'd screamed loud enough to alert any living creature on M39-3586...

"Vala, breathe! Stop moving around." Daniel instructed. Oh, yeah, it's not going to be long at all…

Vala groaned, then said, "I want to hold her first!"

Daniel sat back on his heels and glared at her, "Exactly how would you like me to work that one out?"

"Never mind! Just tell me she's coming out!"

"Oh, she's coming out…"

"She?" Vala tried to sit up and look again, "She? Can you tell?"

"Vala! For crying out loud! Lie still. No, I can't tell yet! She's coming out head first."

"Daniel, there's no need to shout at me." Vala said in a very calm voice. In the seconds between contractions, she could be almost reasonable. "If it's a girl, her name is Jasmine."

"I know. I agreed to it, remember?"

"Yes, darling. You did." Vala smiled, "After months of arguing. Oh, Daniel, you're going to be a wonderful father."

Daniel stared at her. For a moment, his personal doubts on that matter paralyzed him. He swallowed hard, trying not to show her how terrified he was. But she already knew. They'd spent many nights lying awake discussing their fears. Ready or not, though, their baby was about to make her grand entrance.

Vala screamed and Daniel saw the baby's head present. "Vala, that's it, breathe through it...she's coming now!"

For the next five minutes the library was filled with the sounds of breathing and occasional screams. Daniel almost didn't even realize it was over when his daughter slipped into his hands. The piercing cry of a newborn split the air and Vala lay back in exhaustion. With shaking hands, Daniel wrapped up the little pink baby into his spare t-shirt.

"Vala." He sat back and looked from his daughter to his wife. Vala looked at him wearily, a smile spreading across her face as she reached out her arms to hold the crying baby. "I'd like to introduce you to Jasmine."

Tears streamed down her face as she cradled the tiny bundle. "She's perfect. Look how beautiful she is, Daniel!"

"Just like her mother."

Vala studied her daughter, then looked at Daniel. "We're going to be alright, aren't we, Daniel? We can do this whole parent thing, right? I've never been afraid of anything in my life." She laughed a bit hysterically. "Right now, Jasmine terrifies me."

"I think most parents feel this way. We're going to be fine." He kissed her. "We won't be perfect…"

"Well, you might not be…"

"But we're going to be ok."

For a moment, there was peace in the alien library as the happy little family got acquainted. Then they could hear a shout from a distance. Vala's eyes widened. "Daniel, do something! Cover me up, cover me up! Muscles and Cameron are coming!"

Daniel laughed but did as instructed, attempting to make the impromptu birthing suite look a bit more presentable.

"Jackson! Ya still got your nose buried in a book?"

They could hear Mitchell's voice drawing nearer. Vala grinned, "Won't he be surprised when he sees what we've been up to!"

"It probably won't even faze him."

"True." Vala admitted, with a smug smile. "After all, it's not the first time I've had my pants off in a library."

"Vala!"


End file.
